"He's still, what, 33? I saw the news and was surprised," said Nomura. "I don't know how much pain he's in, but did he really try everything? Is it just never going to get better? Is it really that serious? According to doctors in the US, medicine in Japan is about 50 years behind. That's why you don't see foreign players lining up to get examined by Japanese doctors."

He then added, "It takes courage to keep moving forward. It all comes down to where you draw the line. It seems to me like he made his decision a little prematurely."

"There are some good doctors in Tokyo. Doctors that went to the US and Germany for training. Patients have the right to pick their doctors. Maybe he should get checked out by [my] doctor," said Nomura.